Molly Dawson
|eyes=Blue |skin=Fair |occupation=Officer of the NoHead Empire (formerly) |class=Class F |era=NoHead era |affiliation=U.S. Government |masters=Sheriff Missile |apprentices= }} Molly Dawson (b. 1965) was a mutant who worked for the U.S. Government and later, the Police Grand Army, in the 21st century. Highly regarded as an “excellent officer”, she was at one point the personal bodyguard to Evans, U.S. President, having also worked under Mr. Stupid NoHead and Evans' successor. During the course of the First NoHead War, however, Dawson’s powers were diminished somewhat as she was incapacitated and attacked quite frequently. After the end of the NoHeads, Molly fully submitted to the police. Despite this, she remained steadfastly loyal to the government's line that Hell Burnbottom was not back. Biography Early life Molly was born somewhere in the United States of America, into the mutated Dawson family. She attended Superhero School, where she would finish her education earning at least five M.E.M.E.s, all of them with ‘5’ marks. Dawson was grouped into Class F. Sometime after her eighteenth birthday, Dawson joined the government, and completed a stringent series of character and aptitude tests in the three years that followed to join the high ranks of the government. However, Dawson was later sent to train with Sheriff Missile for unknown reasons, and she became an unofficial police officer. Career as an officer In 1994, Mr. Stupid NoHead invaded the Old Police Station and slaughtered all the police in what became known as the First Police Purge. Dawson characteristically switched sides at the last minute, begging Mr. Stupid NoHead for an application, sparing her the consequences of the massacre. After the NoHeads took over the solar system, Molly continued to serve under the new regime, helping in the imprisonment of Muggle-borns and assisting the NoHead-controlled Empire. She was charged with transporting Muggle-born mutants tried by the courts to Beta Prison. However, in the mix, she ran into a beggar who asked her for a coin. Dawson refused him, making him furious, so he cast a spell on her. The effects of the beggar’s magic caused confusion in Dawson, to the point which she was in danger of what would come. In the early minutes of 19 November, Dawson was among the number of Imperial officials who, led by Mrs. Twisted NoHead, attacked Ruby Wright in order to arrest her and sack him from her positions of Gamekeeper and Professor. While trying to Stun her, Dawson pleaded Ruby to “be reasonable”. It is unclear whether Dawson was one of the officers physically knocked-out by Ruby, or the one who, like Mrs. Twisted NoHead, was left unharmed, but tripped over one of her unconscious colleagues and fell over. Still under the effects of the beggar’s curse, Dawson was Stunned by Bryce Yearsley halfway on their flight to Beta Prison. Yearsley was not sure if she was left alright, but took Dawson’s skyfighter and went on the run. When Roan Kendels stepped over the line in rebelling against Mr. and Mrs. Eradicating NoHead at Superhero School, Dawson was sent to take Andrea Kendels as a hostage to get Roan to cooperate with the new regime. However, the Empire had heavily underestimated Andrea, and she caused her sufficient injury to merit admittance into NYC Hospital. Continued service Eventually, Molly healed from her injuries and returned to work. After the subsequent collapse of the NoHead Empire, she returned to the government and continued fighting for what had become the Government Defense Army, proving that no matter what the government became, she would always serve them wholeheartedly. She was one of the few individuals who would have qualified for arrest under the decorrupted government for her crimes against Fobbles and Fobble-borns but was never arrested. In the 2020s, Molly fully submitted to the police cause, and by extension, their new leader, who was Sheriff Dynamo. Third NoHead War When Evans did not believe Lindsay Kellerman’s claim that Hell Burnbottom was back, he thought that Master Intelligence was using the threat of his return as a springboard, spreading rumors so as to destabilize his administration. Surprisingly, despite her defection, Molly was offered the position of Junior Assistant to Evans himself. She also rubbished Lindsay’s claim that Hell Burnbottom had returned, saying it was not good enough. Two months later, she told Sheriff Dynamo in person that he should stay away from Master Intelligence (who she felt was a bad influence) as well as believing that his family would one day realize their mistake for believing Master Intelligence and apologize to her. In the winter of 2032, Dawson acted as Court Scribe during Lindsay Kellerman’s hearing before the court for physical abuse. To Master Intelligence’s surprise and dismay, Dawson refused to look at him, and even agreed with one of Evans’ biased comments against Master Intelligence. Following the hearing, despite sufficient evidence proving the Elite NoHeads existed, Molly believed that Lindsay and Master Intelligence only got off due to a technicality. When Lewis Thicke succeeded Evans as President of the United States due to his failure to announce the return of Hell Burnbottom, several officers were stationed in Massachusetts to provide the school with extra protection, Molly was among these officers, as was Savannah van Dukas. Second Cold War and aftermath In the autumn of 2041, Dawson was illegally possessed by some police officer, in order to provide the Knights of Plague with a false trail as to where the Orb of Power would be relocated to. Sure enough, Rudolph Lestange extracted information from her, and he told him that a trap lied in the Hall of Domination and there would be no Orb. Becca Smith, however, knew this was a false trail (even noting that Dawson was especially susceptible to possession) and told the Gladiator that the Orb was in the Hall of Domination. Intrigued by Master Intelligence’s activities outside his headquarters, President Thicke assigned Dawson to follow Master Intelligence, but the superhero was forced to incapacitate her once more. What happened to Molly Dawson after that is unknown. Physical description Dawson was described as looking very capable and self-assured, a “tough-looking woman” with “very long, wiry” grey hair. When hesitant or unsure of herself, she would blink and look “rather foolish”. Personality and traits Molly Dawson was a die-hard patriot of the Federal Government of the United States and dedicated her entire life to eradicating the dark forces. The events of the First Police Purge imply that she had already earned a reputation of competence; even Master Intelligence himself voiced his belief that Molly Dawson was an excellent officer. Appearing to be wholeheartedly convinced of the righteousness of the government’s initiative and displaying unyielding loyalty to the governing body of the United States, Dawson served the government as an institution rather than owing her allegiance to a specific senior official, proving she considered her work and duties to be ‘beyond political matters’. Her loyalty to the government clouded her moral compass, however, making her capable and willing to remain unwavering in her service and willing to execute more or less any order handed to her by higher-ranking officials effectively, even when such course of action was morally questionable, such as the attack on Ruby Wright and Miranda Butterfield on the behest of Mrs. Twisted NoHead in 1995, or her work following the NoHead take-over of the solar system when she was tasked with capturing Fobble-borns and with attacking Andrea Kendels, which she did (or tried to) without protest. Her career as an officer and governor also made her hardened and fearless, showing sufficient confidence in her own abilities to remain calm and being generally unfazed by threats from her criminal enemies and intrepidly confront them when such a course of action was necessary. Her Ministerial status made Dawson unaccustomed to people not taking him seriously during the course of his professional duties; Dawson would lose her otherwise stoic and shrewd exterior and blink rather foolishly when talked down to and turn to a superior for advice, such as when Master Intelligence made it clear how she would be completely incapable of apprehending him even if she tried. Powers and abilities By her final year of formal schooling at Superhero School, Dawson had already distinguished herself as a mutant whose cleverness and mutant prowess were clearly above-average. When her sat her M.E.M.E.s, she achieved top marks on at least five subjects. Molly Dawson is a very powerful and clever mutant who had obvious talent and expertise in a number of different branches of mutantry, considering that, as an officer, she had a high level of skill and knowledge in at least Defense Against Darkness, Powers, Math, and Fencing. Given her post as personal bodyguard to Evans during the latter’s paranoia towards Master Intelligence at the time, it is more than likely that Dawson was quite a high-ranking officer with a highly reputable caliber based on her service record at the government. As a fully-trained officer, she was proficient in specialized areas such as Concealment and Disguise and Stealth and Tracking. As an official police Master, Dawson’s ability to handle herself in mutant combat were naturally considerable, and like any officer, she would have honed her ability in dueling as part of her training to become a fully-fledged member of the police. However, it was seen that she was able to be effortlessly defeated by mutants more powerful than herself. She was also (apparently) knocked out by Ruby Wright and, later, Andrea Kendels, which caused enough damage to have her sent to NYC Hospital. She was also defeated by Bryce Yearsley, who attributes her escape to another wizard’s curse placed on Dawson beforehand. Her abilities suffered at the time, as she experienced a extended period of frequent injuries and incapacitation, usually due to a combination of far superior opponents, sheer bad luck and a mysterious curse stopping her from exercising the full extent of her skill. Relationships Master Intelligence Molly Dawson, to say the least, did not have a positive relationship with S.M.S.B. Grandmaster Master Intelligence. After the rebirth of Hell Burnbottom, Dawson warned Sheriff Bladepoint that he should stay away from Master Intelligence, who she felt was a bad influence. To Master Intelligence’s surprise and dismay, Dawson refused to look at him during his Discplinary trial of Master Intelligence, and even agreed with one of Evans’ biased comments against Master Intelligence. Intrigued by Master Intelligence’s activities outside his headquarters, Dawson to follow Master Intelligence, but the superhero was forced to incapacitate her, something he described as "not kind". Police Molly Dawson briefly joined the police ranks, though her loyalty was a smokescreen: during the First Police Purge, she betrayed the Grand Army. As late as 2041, Dawson was illegally mind-controlled by some police officer against her will. Nevertheless, she submitted to the cause in 2020. Enemies Molly Dawson spent the majority of her life hunting down enemies of the U.S. Government and the NoHead Empire. In the late 1990s, she attempted to arrest Bryce Yearsley, only to be incapacitated. Dawson was also incapacitated by Andrea Kendels, a woman Dawson had little regard for. Etymology The name “Molly” is the diminutive form of “Mary”. It developed from Malle and Molle, other medieval diminutives. James Joyce used this name in his novel ‘Ulysses’ (1920), where it belongs to Molly Bloom, the wife of the main character. “Dawson” originates from Daw, a Middle English pet form of David plus‎ -son. There are ten different towns, cities, and villages in the United States that bear the name, as well as a census-designated place in Maryland and a borough in Pennsylvania. Behind the scenes Dawson’s frequent injuries and incapacitations are somewhat of a running joke in the series. Her role is largely omitted in the novelizations, and her appearances are diminished to two background appearances with no lines in , and a brief mention in . D. Isaac Thomas stated that “there’s no dishonor to Molly”, as anyone would have been in trouble going up against Master Intelligence and that she was “punch drunk” by the time that she faced Andrea Kendels, who was nevertheless a powerful mutant. She was occasionally the subject of a joke saying that she would have some real significance in the last book. Appearances * * * * * * * Notes and references Category:1965 births Category:American individuals Category:Dawson family Category:Department of Justice personnel Category:Federal Government of the United States employees Category:Females Category:Mind control victims Category:Mutants Category:Neutral individuals Category:NoHead allies Category:NYC Hospital patients Category:Superhero School students Category:Class F students